1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cable attachment for attachment thereto of a plurality of cables in a parallel arrangement, and a cable assembly and a connector that include the cable attachment.
2. Description of the Related Art
For a conventional connection structure of a plurality of cables to a connector, there is one in which a plurality of cables are respectively fixed, by applying pressure, to a plurality of contacts and the contacts are incorporated one by one into a body of the connector. This connection structure has a drawback that when the number of cables increases, it takes time to fix cables respectively to contacts by applying pressure and incorporate the contacts into a body. Moreover, since cables are connected one by one, there is another drawback that such connection structure is apt to cause wiring errors.
In view of these drawbacks, there is another connection structure in which a plurality of cables are attached to attachment hardware and the attachment hardware is then attached to a body of the connector while the plurality of cables are respectively brought into contact with a plurality of contacts of the connector, whereby the plurality of cables are connected to the connector at once.
As examples of such attachment hardware, there are one to which a plurality of cables are attached by soldering or the like, and one in which a plurality of cables are sandwiched respectively by a plurality of attachment portions which are arranged on the above-described attachment hardware so as to be spaced apart from one another in a length direction (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-260439 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-54102, for example).
The former example has a drawback that if cables are single-core cables or the like whose outer peripheries are covered with insulators, the cables are not adapted for soldering. Even if cables are coaxial cables or the like that have solderable shields, the shield may be hardened by soldering. Thus, there is another drawback that when the cables are bent, the shields may break.
The latter example does not have drawbacks such as those of the former. Attachment portions are formed by being cut and raised from a plate body to serve as attachment hardware. In addition, in order that attachment portions suitably sandwich cables, the attachment portions require a developed length that corresponds to the outer diameter of the cables.
Hence, through to miniaturization of connectors, spaces between cables become smaller, three times or less than the outer diameter of the cables. When an attempt is made to set the same spaces between the attachment portions as the spaces between the cables, the attachment portions may not have sufficient developed lengths to suitably sandwich cables because those attachment portions are cut and raised from a plate body.
In short, the latter attachment hardware has an essential drawback, that is, when the spaces between cables are small relative to outer diameters of the cables, it is impossible to dedicate enough developed lengths of the attachment portions.